Derek Harper is one of those guys where the fans of that team just love him and people outside the city may not always get it.

Harper was drafted by the Mavericks in 1983 and spent his first decade in the league in Dallas. He was a strong defender (two-time NBA All Defense second team) who was just smart with the ball and he could score — he averaged 16 points or more seven of his seasons with the Mavericks. Now he is a broadcaster for the team.

He’s not a guy headed to the Hall of Fame — but he is headed to the Mavericks’ equivalent.

It’s fitting. He’s the best point guard in Mavericks’ history (Steve Nash wasn’t there long enough). Teams have different criteria for who goes up in the rafters but it should be a guy that was dedicated to the team and someone the fans love. That’s Harper in Dallas. Plus he still has the franchise records for assists (5,111) and steals (1,551).

No date is yet set for this.

To answer your next question (or so you can stump your friends with trivia) there are two other Mavericks with retired jerseys: Brad Davis (15) and Rolando Blackman (22).